Who are we?

This consortium of Minneapolis artists exploring the short work of Harold Pinter, presenting in February 2009, includes…

Blake E. Bolan (director) creates, directs, and performs in the Twin Cities. Most recently, she was seen in A Christmas Carol Finale at the Bedlam; among other favorite collaborations, she wrote and directed My Collegiate Romance with a Robot for the Bedlam Ten-Minute Festival, and performed in Skewed Visions’ Jasper Johns at the Ritz. She has worked for Theatre de la Jeune Lune and Richard Foreman, and is part of the ever-evolving theatrical partnership Savage Umbrella.

Jason Brown (Dramaturge) completed his B.A. in English Literature with a concentration on Education at Mount Union College in Alliance, OH. He has worked for several theaters and theater companies, including the Guthrie Theater, Chaos Theories and Outward Spiral Theatre Company, and co-founded Emigrant Theater. He also designs sets and directs, including Emigrant’s 2005 production of Carson Kreitzer’s Dead Wait

Cristine (“Kit”) Mack Gordon (Dramaturg) has worked as a dramaturg (and occasional performer) in the Twin Cities since 1997, most notable for the Mary Worth Theatre company and with Shakespeare in the park. She directed Mary Worth’s 1999 Fringe production, Marlowe: To Ride in Triumph. She has also worked locally with Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Theatre in the Round Players, and Verona Productions, among many others. Kit’s theatrical training includes a month-long intensive workshop for theater professionals at Shakespeare and Company in western Massachusetts, as well as workshops with Theatre de la Jeune Lune and Andrew Wade, head of voice for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her academic training includes a Ph.D. in English. Kit works full time as an academic adviser in the University Honors Program at the University of Minnesota.

Terry Hempleman (Director) has worked as an actor with the Guthrie, Children’s Theater Company, The Jungle, Park Square, Then Thousand Things, Penumbra, and many more. He has directed for the Minnesota Fringe Festival, the Playwrights’ Center, and assistant directed for Ten Thousand Things. He produced and designed the site specific project American Sublime. He moved to Minneapolis in 1991 and loves living here.

Jeffry Lusiak (Director) currently serves Outward Spiral Theater Company as Artistic Director. His show credits with OSTC include: Curator – Queertopia 2006-08, Transgender Day of Remembrance Eve 2006-08, Day of Silence Night of Noise 2006-08 as Curator; Director – Empowered Expression Theatre Troupe, In The Garden, Mineola Twins, Dusk; Producer – Valets, Falsettos, 5 Women on a Hill in Spain, Ladies and Gentlemen; Asst. Director – Hedwig and the Angry Inch and The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told. Lusiak has also worked on numerous shows with Illusion Theater and performed as a company member of Dykes Do Drag, where he takes the stage as Puss Puss. Lusiak is currently working for Project SUCCESS as a Senior Facilitator where he works at Southwest High School and Northeast Middle School. With Project SUCCESS Lusiak has worked at Anwatian Middle school as a director for Here’s Where I Stand 1&2, The Wiz, Little Shop of Horrors, and Seussical the Musical.

Max Mondi (dramaturge) is very proud and excited to be taking part in the Minneapolis Pinter Studies.A recent graduate of the University of Vermont, Max was the dramaturg for last season’s Compleat Female Stage Beauty at the Royall Tyler Theatre.Since coming to Minneapolis, Max has been a literary intern at the Guthrie Theater, providing assistance to Caviar on Credit, A Christmas Carol, and The Caretaker, and will be the dramaturg for the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Program’s 2009 New Plays Project in the spring.

Scotty Reynolds (Event Curator) is a graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Theatre Arts and Dance Bachelor of Arts program where he learned the joys of theatrical exploration and the power of theatre as a tool for social change and engagement. He has been working with the Interact Center for four years as an instructor and collaborating artist, including directing Interact’s Ivey Award winning Broken Brain Summit. Scotty has performed with the History Theatre and trained with the San Francisco Mime Troupe. In 2006 he was a fellow at Intermedia Arts in the Institute for Community and Cultural Development. He is looking forward to serving as an announcer for the 2009 season of MNRollerGirls roller derby.

Maggie Scanlan (Director) holds a B.A. in Theatre from the College of St. Benedict and an M.F.A. in directing from the University of Minnesota. She has been a part of the Twin Cities theatre community for over 20 years, first as an actress and then as a director. She has worked with The Jungle Theater, Eye of the Storm, Mixed Blood, Frank Theater, Minnesota Festival Theater, and The History Theater among other and was a core member of the the Theater Exchange – a British-American company formerly of Minneapolis. In 2005 Maggie founded Nightpath Theatre Company. Scanlan co-designed and directed all of Nightpath’s past productions including The Devils, The Balcony and Measure for Measure. She recently directed Theatre Unbound’s production of How I Learned to Drive.

Abbie Williams (Assistant Event Curator) is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire where she received a B.A. in Theatre Arts and French. She directed Harold Pinter’s Ashes to Ashes her final semester and is glad to continue, however perplexedly, reading and analyzing his work. Back from a summer in France, Abbie is eager to meet the Twin Cities theater community.